Schools

Ohio Wesleyan Confers Degree Upon Chatham Woman

Elizabeth Bennett earned a BA from Ohio Wesleyan.

DELAWARE, OH -- Elizabeth Bennett of Chatham, NJ, graduated May 12, 2013, from Ohio Wesleyan University. Bennett earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Ohio Wesleyan's Class of 2013 included 381 spring, summer, and fall graduates, with 64 cum laude, 34 magna cum laude, and 19 summa cum laude honorees.

Internet technology pioneer and 1961 Ohio Wesleyan graduate George H. Conrades borrowed some advice from another successful OWU alumnus when Conrades delivered the keynote address at the university's 169th commencement ceremony.

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"Our far-sighted alum Branch Rickey says to Jackie Robinson in the movie '42' - in response to Robinson's question, 'How do you want me to act?' - 'Show the world you're a fine man and a great baseball player,' " said Conrades, the former chief executive officer and current chairman of Massachusetts-based Akamai Technologies Inc.

This means, Conrades told the graduates, that you "show up, on time, dressed to play. That you've done your homework and worked hard at getting the facts. That you are eager to pursue common ground, to get things done together with infectious energy, passion, courage, and confidence. Show up, on time, dressed to play. That's all that's expected of you, whatever you exist to be."

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In addition to Conrades, Zeke Brechtel, Ohio Wesleyan's 2013 senior class president, also spoke before the crowd of graduates, families, and friends gathered for the outdoor ceremony in the university's Phillips Glen. Brechtel, a physics major and mathematics minor from Arvada, Colo., encouraged his fellow classmates to avoid becoming overly cynical or complacent.

"We can have the courage to hope," Brechtel said. "We can have the courage to be true to ourselves and true to the realities of the world in which we live. We can admit that there are unprecedented environmental and economic challenges that our generation will face. The world needs change, and to my fellow seniors, we are the ones who are going to bring it. ...

"We have the capacity, in our lifetimes, to become the next great generation," Brechtel said. "We have the capacity to work together to leave this world in better shape than it was delivered to us."

Before concluding the 2013 commencement ceremony, Ohio Wesleyan President Rock Jones, Ph.D., encouraged the new graduates to share their knowledge and compassion with a world in need.

"If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have found freedom, take it with you into the world," Jones said, sharing traditional OWU graduation wishes. "If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have found peace, go and share it with others. If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have found some portion of truth, go and seek it all the more. If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have dreamed dreams, help one another, and those dreams may come true. If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have known love, give some back to a bruised and hurting world."

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier small, private universities. Ohio Wesleyan offers more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports.

Located in Delaware, Ohio, OWU's 1,850 students represent 41 states and 45 countries.


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